Homemaking this week

It was Tuesday night but I did make a pretty to do list for this week.  It is shorter than usual because I had already done many of my weekly tasks.

The designs are made with rubber stamps.  It was raining so I used some water themed stamps.  It is an old stamp set I got way back when my daughter was in high school.

I did a little shopping yesterday.

At my favorite thrift store,  I got some cute little boy clothes for cooler days.

Not a very good photo- skirt and Dress Barn sweater for me,  2 red checked tablecloths and a brown ultra suede shower curtain that I hope will be right for one of my parent's bathrooms.  

Dollar Tree

I like the Breezy dryer sheets, they soften the laundry just fine but are not highly scented and they cost $1.

I've never tried the Heinz Balsamic ketchup or the Awesome oxygen (like OxiClean) but I've read good things about both.  

Big Lots

We like these smoothie or milk shake straws- they are bigger than regular straws and I've never see them anywhere but Big Lots.  

Meals this week

Wednesday night was black eyed peas cooked in the crockpot.  I added our favorite turkey sausage and they were delicious!

Tonight will be chicken and rolled dumplings.  The crockpot was still on the counter so I've started the chicken cooking in it. 

When it's time to roll the dumplings, this little assistant will very happily "help" me.  

This past week's happenings

Hello everyone,  with a very full weekend and the Labor Day holiday, I didn't get my usual weekly to do list made.  It's already Tuesday so I am just going to wing it this week and hope for the best!  

We went to a cookout this weekend.  I baked a double batch of cheese rolls.  They are made like cinnamon rolls except the dough is not as sweet, and when the dough is rolled out, it is covered with grated cheddar instead of cinnamon sugar.  

How I made them.

 (This is a big recipe and could easily be halved for a smaller family) 

 - in the bread machine on dough cycle Add

2 Cups water

1 stick softened butter

2 t salt

2 T sugar

6 cups all purpose flour

2 t dry yeast

After that cycle,  punch down the dough and roll out on a floured cabinet to a large rectangle.  

Spread with 2 T soft butter and about 2 generous 

cups of grated cheese.  I used sharp cheddar.  Roll dough up tight and then slice into 1 inch rolls.  Put on a prepared baking sheet (I like to use parchment paper but greasing would be fine) Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise about 30 minutes.  Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven until golden brown.  

Melt 2 more tablespoons Butter and mix with some garlic powder or salt.  Brush on to hot rolls.  

This is a photo from my son.  He went to friends party and they made baked corn dogs from a Pinterest recipe.  They used Jiffy cornbread mix and ordinary hot dogs.  

He said they were really good.  I think I might make them soon when we have a group over here. Except I will use Kosher wieners and a less sweet cornbread than Jiffy.

I don't sign up for many freebies or contests but I do remember doing both of these freebie offers sign ups. 

The Smuckers fruit pouches were a commissary shopper contest and the Ziploc bags were from Right At Home.  

Both full size products came in the mail, one day apart.  It's always welcome to get free groceries in the mail! 

It doesn't happen too often but all 7 grands were here at the same time this weekend.  

They range from almost 2 months to 6 years.  

My parents celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary.  

Two of the grandsons had the best time playing in this box.  

They like toys too but this big box and a quilt kept them busy for hours.  

Hope you all have a wonderful week! 

Monday to do list

Here is my weekly to do list.  After 2 very busy weeks, this week is much less scheduled.

We were able to pick some wild plums yesterday, what we call Oklahoma Sand Plums.  They are not good to just eat raw, but when cooked down for their pretty pink juice, Sand Plums make wonderful jelly.   Both of my Oklahoma grandmothers, my aunts and my mom all made Sand Plum jelly and it is truly a family favorite.  It was the only jelly one of my brothers and many of my cousins would eat.

 I washed our 5 gallons of sand plums last night.  Then today, I simmered them until they released their juice and strained them.   I hade one big pot full, one medium pot full and 2 little pans full.  It just seemed better to cook them all at once.  

I ended with enough juice to make at least 4 batches of jelly.  Yum!   

I've had already several requests from family members who hope I will share.  Of course I will and we may be able to pick more plums in a few days when they have finished ripening.  

The downside of all this cooking is the cleanup to do afterward.  

The stovetop was a mess but cleaned up without much effort 

And my trusty dishwasher washed 3 loads today!  

Hope you all had a good Monday! 

CVS - Last week of August 2015

I don't think I've shopped at CVS in 2 or more weeks.  Their sales were just not things I needed. 

But this week's ad interested me and I had $10 Extra Care bucks to use. 

Instead of writing out the sales I want to do, I started clipping out the ad sections I like and use a smear of glue stick to mount them on a sheet of paper.  I also paper clip the coupons for the deals, any ECBs and my CVS card to this list.

The key to getting good deals is be organized.  

Below is what I bought - I actually bought everything I planned too. 

Colgate toothpaste was free after the redbox $2 coupon and $1 coupon in today's paper.

The beverages are 2/$2 and give a $2 ECB.  My husband drank part of the Gatorade on the way home from church.

Any Tums are part of the Zantac deal- buy any 2 and get $5 ECB.  Each roll was $1.49 and I got back a total of $10 ECB.  So on these, I got back more than I paid.  

The Excedrin are spend $20, get back $10.  Excedrin works for me when I get a headache and with the coupons in today's paper, I really liked this deal. 

I spent a total of $15.24 in cash and got back $22 in ECBs.  

A little baking and some littles painting

When I rummaged around the fridge for produce yesterday, I found this never opened pint of heavy cream.  It was hiding on a middle shelf way in the back.  It was almost a month out of date but I was brave and opened it.  The cream was just fine so I mixed up a double batch of a tried and true biscuit. 

  Biscuits 

I've made this recipe many times.  I keep the biscuits in the freezer and then just take out how many I need to bake for a breakfast.  The recipe uses cream instead of milk and shortening and is very quick to mix up.  

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  I was wanting to bake something from the Mary Berry cookbook I showed in the previous post and I picked this very simple Fork Cookies recipe.  I doubled the recipe and added some vanilla.  

This dough mixes up fast and was in the oven baking in very little time.  

We packed some in a tin for our house and some in a jar for my parents. 

I like this recipe a lot, it makes a nice butter cookie.  It was not the grands favorite cookie though, they didn't think the Fork Cookies were sweet.  

4 of the grands had a Friday night sleepover here. 

We had homemade pizza and fruit for supper.  Then we walked down to a little pond in our neighborhood where the children climbed in a big tree and threw sticks into the pond and just had fun.

 With supervision from their uncle, they painted a dozen Sun Catchers from a kit.  It was a good project for the older 2.  The younger 2 enjoyed painting 1 each and then they were off to play.  

Use what you have

Hello everyone

We shopped at the commissary last Saturday and I haven't been to any grocery store since then.  While our pantry and freezer are still pretty full, I knew we had used all the bananas, grapes, melon, leaf and romaine lettuce.  Grand children will be here today and maybe more family for supper so I wondered if I should go shopping. 

I looked to see what was in the fridge.  I found about half a pound of strawberries that were still fresh so I washed and quartered them.  

Then I found 5 nice oranges so I peeled and separated them. That will be plenty of fruit for today. 

There was only a quarter head of iceberg lettuce and I knew that would not make a family sized salad but when I added half a bell pepper, 4 shredded carrots, some purple cabbage, red onions and tomatoes, it turned out to be a very nice sized and delicious looking salad.  

So,  I don't have to go the store today!  

I also mixed up pizza dough in the bread machine.  It will hang out in the fridge all day until I make pizzas for supper.  

I'm sure I will shop for produce tomorrow to get through next week but I feel so thrifty using what we already had for today's meals. 

I've been looking through this recipe book.  One of the authors is Mary Berry.  We have become a big fan of hers by watching The Great British Bake Off on PlayOn on Roku.  I think it is in the 6th season now.  Some of the episodes are also on YouTube.  Australia and Scotland also have versions of the Bake Off and they are good too - much better than the American version that aired here in the summer of 2014.  

The British version focuses on the baking skills and the history of different baking traditions.  It is also a family friendly show.  But it will make you want to go in the kitchen and whip up some scones or croissants. 

Yesterday,  baby Jackson was my laundry folding helper.  He was happy while I was moving all the laundry around as I folded it but by the time I decided to take a photo, he was tired of it all.  

How yesterday went

These 3 little cousins spent all day with me.  Two are 3 years old and one is 2 years.  

After they got here,  we went for a long walk in our neighborhood and they climbed on some rock piles.  Exercise and fresh air are good for children,  I think it helps them sleep better, eat better and just be healthier.  

After that walk, they played on riding toys in our driveway.  

We came inside after 2 hours of outdoor fun.  We washed up and then it was time for play dough.  

Then we had lunch and watched one episode of Daniel Tiger.  

Nap time!  They all slept at the same time but only for 90 minutes or so.  

They moved on to doing some art.  Little ones love stickers and I have a good supply of them, much of them are from my Mom's downsizing.  

Snack time - apple slices, string cheese and juice drinks.  

A couple of selfies from our walk - the grands picked these beautiful flowers for me.  Shhh- don't tell them they really just picked some Oklahoma weeds.  

It was a fun day, and I slept quite well last night.  I expect the 3 little cousins did too.  

grands coming today!

3 preschooler cousins will be here today.  I think the weather will be pleasant enough for lots of outdoor play.  

Indoors- I set out 3 babies, all with their own blanket and bottle.  Toddlers are not fond of sharing but we are working on it.  

Stickers, big crayons and poster board for art time 

An assortment of spill proof cups so they can each choose - and a dry erase marker so Grandma can remember who's is who's.  

The planes, motorcycles and construction vehicles are ready for play!  They will be flown and driven all over the house by the little boys.  

Yesterday. I did some food prep- cooking 4 pounds of ground beef into taco meat filling.  Some will be for supper tonight and 2 meal size containers went into the freezer for future meals.  

And I got some fresh fruit ready for either lunch or supper today.  

It will be a fun and busy day.  It will be easier with some preparations done ahead.  

This week's to do list

Hello everyone!  I didn't mean to stay gone so long.  July and August have  just been busy.  I spent lots of time with my 7 grands.  The 2 new babies are so precious and the 2 oldest are now both in public school full time when the new school year started last week and the 3 in the middle are wonderful and keep us all on our toes.  

July was also doctor appointment month as I saw my doctor, eye doctor and dentist.  I needed a filling, my first in many years, and I needed new glasses.  I am glad all my appointments had good results but they sure use a lot of time.  

The other big event is my parents just moved to our town into a brand new and beautiful retirement home.  They grew up in Oklahoma but have lived in East Texas for more than 50 years.  So they are happy to return to Oklahoma and especially happy to be so close now to their grands and great grands.  They are still unpacking and decorating but I hope to post some pictures when their apartment is photo-ready.  

This is my first pretty to do list after a 3 week break.  

The purple polka dot fabric tape is from Dollar Tree.  The designs are made with rubber stamps. 

I did a little CVS shopping over my blog break but not much.  Frankly, we are stocked up on most all drugstore products.  But I may go this week for a few things and I will sure blog about them if I do.  

Have a good week everyone!  I not only didn't blog for the last 3 weeks,  I have not read many blogs either,  now I hope to catch up with you all.  

Last week of July's to do list and CVS - a good week for beginners

Hello everyone - here is this week's list.  It's all black and white

Designs are made with rubber stamps,

The utensil washi tape is from my daughter, she got it in a PickYourPlum surprise box years ago and the floral fabric tape is from Dollar Tree.  

CVS - all of these things were bought with coupons from the July 26th newspaper and with coupons from the CVS red box where you scan your card before shopping.  Anyone with yesterday's coupons and a CVS card can do this same deal.

The Suave shampoo and conditioner is on sale for $3.99 for the 1st one purchased and $1.99 for the 2nd.  Sunday's paper had a buy 1 get 1 free coupon that automatically subtracts $6.99.  Also when you purchase $12 of Suave, you get a $4 ECB.  

The Irish Spring 3 packs of bar soap and Gear deodorant are all $4.  The Sunday coupons were for $2 off the soap and B1G1F on the deodorant.  When you purchase $20, you get a $10 ECB.

After coupons, I owed about $14 and I paid it with some prepaid Visa rewards cards I get for doing weather surveys for a University research project.   I think the price before coupons and sales was $49

Several of you have commented you would like to start doing CVS deals.  This is a great week to start! 

As always, if you want more CVS info, look at IHeartCVS.com or look on Facebook for CVS groups. 

Grand #7, this week's to do list, and CVS

First, I am so happy to introduce this little cutie, Charlie Katherine. She is the youngest of all our grands and by far the biggest at birth, almost 9 pounds!  She also has the thickest head of baby hair I've ever seen.

She is just a few days old and so far, she mostly sleeps and wiggles.  

We are all in love with her and so thankful for her uneventful birth.

  Her sister was a preemie and was air flighted just a few hours after her birth to a big children's hospital.  Big Sis is fine but we all feared that same possibility for Charlie.   So we sighed a big sigh of relief and prayed a prayer of thanksgiving after she arrived.  

Here's my to do list for the week

The fabric tape is from Dollar Tree, designs are from rubber stamps and colored pencils.

CVS

Last week's sale - the Physicians Formula products were all giving big Extra Care bucks.  $7ECB for every $10 purchased.  I got these 3 and used some ECBs and a CVS coupon and spent just over $20 and got back a $21 ECB

Then this current week's sale, I used that $21 ECB and newspaper coupons to get 2 big packs of Charmin tissue and a bottle of a new product called Jergens wet skin moisturizer. 

 I spent $1.97 and got back $6.  

I read on IHeartCVS.com that the Physicians Formula will repeat next week as buy $12 get $8 ECB back. 

Hope you all have a good week!  We're planning another visit to Charlie and hope to see all our other grands this week as well. 

This week's list ....... A day late

I made this list Sunday night and worked on it quite a bit yesterday, but I am just now getting around to blogging about it.

I felt like yesterday was very productive - including an eye check up for me, laundering a huge amount of laundry for us 2 people and sewing 4 new pillows for the living room.  

This week's list is decorated with polka dot fabric tape from Dollar Tree and I found the stickers in a drawer that I cleaned out last week and decided to just use them.  Use what you have when possible! 

Hope you all are having a good week so far.  

It is HOT here, I plan to stay indoors as much as possible and drink lots of ice water and iced tea.